Israeli forces suppress Friday protests in Kafr Qaddum

QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- -- Israeli forces suppressed a weekly march in the village of Kafr Qaddum in the northern occupied West Bank district of Qalqiliya on Friday.

Coordinator of the popular resistance in the town, Murad Shteiwi, said that locals marched towards the illegal Israeli Kedumim settlement, despite strong winds and rainy weather.

Shteiwi added that “this is a message of determination on continuing resistance until the end of occupation.”

Residents of Kafr Qaddum began staging weekly protests in 2011 against Israeli land confiscations, as well as the closure of the village's southern road by Israeli forces. The road, which has been closed for 14 years, is the main route to the nearby city of Nablus, the nearest economic center.

The Israeli army blocked off the road after expanding the illegal Israeli settlement of Kedumim in 2003, forcing village residents to take a bypass road in order to travel to Nablus, which has extended the travel time to Nablus from 15 minutes to 40 minutes, according to Israeli rights group B’Tselem.

Hundreds of Palestinians have been detained during the demonstrations since their start in 2011, and at least one protester was killed, while dozens have been injured by live fire, including 12 children, Shteiwi told Ma'an during a similar protest last year.